Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 177

Every guest here was a shrewd veteran of high society. The subtle tension in the air instantly clued them into the dirty tricks at play.

It was painfully obvious that the Prescott heir had tried to trap Meredith, only to shoot himself in the foot and get kicked into his own snare.

He had schemed to climb the social ladder by joining the Miller family, but instead, he ended up getting overly intimate with his own extended relative. This stunt was an absolute catastrophe.

"Phoenix, how do you have this video?" Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Phoebe immediately redirected the spearhead, screeching her accusation. "Did you intentionally set Julian up? I know you two have your differences, but you can't ruin him like this!"

"I ruined him?" Phoenix tapped her finger lightly against the rim of her glass, a cold smirk curling her lips, her eyes filled with freezing intent. "Do you have proof? I simply received a 'fun little gift' from someone. Or better yet, why don't we call the cops right now and investigate exactly who set up this trap?"

That casual remark struck like lightning, instantly draining the color from both Phoebe and Mavis's faces.

They knew better than anyone that the moment the police got involved, their filthy scheme of drugging Meredith would be completely exposed.

"Grandfather!"

Mavis hurriedly spoke up, her voice laced with desperation. "Today is your recovery banquet, and Meredith's welcome-home party. It's a bit of a buzzkill, but finishing the event is what matters most. As for everything else... let's just investigate it behind closed doors after the guests leave."

Gideon took a deep breath, suppressing the raging emotions in his chest, before saying firmly, "We had a minor hiccup just now, please excuse the spectacle. And now, I invite my precious granddaughter, Meredith Miller, to the stage!"

"Go on, Meredith." Macy gently nudged her back, her gaze steady and warm. "Tonight, you are the queen."

Meredith nodded slightly. Straightening her spine, she walked step by step toward the center of the stage.

As the spotlight washed over her like liquid silver, she could clearly feel the gazes piercing her from all directions—suspicion, awe, jealousy, and undisguised disgust.

If she were the person she had been three years ago, she might have cared, shrunk back, and wanted to run away.

But now, the soul that had crawled back from purgatory had been forged in fire into something unbreakable, never to be swayed by malice again.

Just as Macy had said—

Tonight, she was the queen.

Meredith stood firm in the center of the stage, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Julian immediately fell silent, realizing that saying more would only dig his grave deeper, but behind his lowered eyelids, a monstrous hatred surged.

If the plan had gone smoothly, his marriage to Meredith would have been set in stone. Who could have expected that he would wake up in bed with that fat cow, Zoe?!

Meanwhile, Zoe had quietly shuffled back to Dominic's side.

"Dad, I..."

"Shut up!!" Dominic's face was so dark it looked ready to drip ink. He lowered his voice into a vicious growl. "You've utterly disgraced the Vaughan family this time! Fooling around with a piece of trash like Julian."

"Dad, I genuinely like Julian." Zoe looked up, a stubborn light gleaming in her eyes. "Even though this was an accident, I... I don't regret it."

"Oh, you don't regret it?" Dominic sneered, his eyes sharp as knives. "Well, I regret bringing you here. I thought you'd finally prove yourself and network with some truly influential heirs, and instead... you hooked up with Julian."

"We already have your aunt Vanessa in the Prescott family. Tossing you in too makes this an incredibly bad investment."